Would Messi have to win a WC to be considered the Greatest of All-Time?

SI article on Barcelona got me thinking...should Messi be "punished" on the all-time scale if he never wins the World Cup? (When he eventually retires, of course.)

quote:The résumé Messi has already produced at age 25 only begins to make the case: a world-record 73 goals in all club competitions last season, including an unprecedented five in one Champions League game; 252 goals and 89 assists in 331 Barça appearances at week's end; three Champions League and five Spanish league titles; and three straight world player of the year awards, also unprecedented. Already he has joined Pelé and Diego Maradona in the debate over the greatest player of all time, and while detractors note that Messi has yet to win a World Cup (Pelé won three, Maradona one), it's also true that the sport has changed since the days of those older stars. The Champions League is now viewed in many precincts as a superior competition to the World Cup because it features more top players, a bigger sample size and a higher level of play that international soccer's marquee quadrennial event. Pelé never played club soccer in Europe, while Maradona never won the top European club crown, which was decided by a smaller-scale tournament during his career. If Messi keeps winning the most important club trophies and putting up off-the-charts numbers with Barça, he may not need the World Cup to be called the greatest.

re: Would Messi have to win a WC to be considered the Greatest of All-Time?(Posted by LSU Red24 on 10/10/12 at 9:49 am to WarSlamEagle)

I don't necessarily think so. The World Cup is damn hard to win and if you're lucky, you'll play in four in your lifetime. He also got the unlucky task of playing during this Spanish Armada. He is, I think, going to have to do something more than dominate La Liga. He simply hasn't shown up on the international scale at all

re: Would Messi have to win a WC to be considered the Greatest of All-Time?(Posted by rsande2 on 10/10/12 at 9:55 am to hendersonshands)

I am torn on this, not sure if he would have to win one but if he had some spectacualr performances and his team let him down in some way that might be enough.

For me though you have to show up in the bigest stage, much like jordan did in basketball so many times. This has been my complaint with ronaldo, especially when he was at Man U he just didn't come thru when the lights were brightest.

re: Would Messi have to win a WC to be considered the Greatest of All-Time?(Posted by lesismeaurx on 10/10/12 at 10:44 am to rsande2)

I have a unique opinion on the GOAT so I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but I don't consider Maradona or Pele the GOAT. As such, Messi isn't to the point where I could call him that either. I think he has surpassed the aforementioned players, but I consider Cruyff as the GOAT, because he not only dominated soccer (like messi and maradona and pele) but he also CHANGED the landscape of soccer. He pioneered a playing style (along with his coach at Ajax, forget his name) that is used by arguably the most dominant team in club football history.

He have seen players dominate the game and master their respective trades on the field, yes Messi is especially great, but I think a player needs to do more than just dominate. Otherwise, there is no GOAT, because Pele, Maradona, Platini, Zidane, Beckenbauer, Muller, the real Ronaldo, Baresi, Carlos Alberto, Iker, Yashin, Banks, and tons of other guys all can lay some kind of claim to the title.

re: Would Messi have to win a WC to be considered the Greatest of All-Time?(Posted by thenry712 on 10/10/12 at 11:37 pm to wm72)

Also anyone who watches Argentina will note that Messi often plays as basically an advanced midfielder. Without a true centermid or even a good DLP, Messi happily drops deep to receive the ball and setup the attack. This also allows for two of Tevez, Aguero or Higuain to play at the same time. Luckily Messi may not have to share this creative burden for much longer, if Javier Pastore, Ever Banega or Erik Lamela mature into the creative midfielder Argentina needs.

ETA: The new Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella plays Messi in a support striker role now. He still drops into the midfield to get the ball, but not quite at same depths.